All cat owners given three month warning or face £500 fine

Cat owners in England have been given a three-month warning to microchip their pets or they could be fined £500. The charity Cats Matter has said that from June 10, 2024, it will be against the law for cat owners not to have their pets microchipped.

The charity believes that about 25 per cent of cats, which is around three million, have not been microchipped. A spokesperson said: "Once the new law comes into force, owners found without their cat microchipped will have just 21 days to have one implanted. After the 21 days, owners may then face a fine of up to £500. We have done the hard part by getting the law changed. Now it is down to cat owners to make sure this is the success we know it can and will be."

"The process of microchipping involves the quick, simply and painless insertion of a chip, generally around the size of a grain of rice, under the skin. The microchip has a unique serial number that the keeper needs to register on a database. When a cat is found, the microchip can be read with a scanner and the registered keeper identified on a database so the pet can quickly be reunited with them. "

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

Cats Matter, a pet welfare group, supports the new rule because they believe it's the right way to care for our furry friends. They explain: "When a cat is not microchipped, they can be picked up as a stray and end up clogging the rescue system, which is already on it's knees due to the current cost of living crisis, some shelters with waiting lists full of cats to enter care into the hundreds."

"Microchipping ensures that people are notified should an accident happen, and we are fully aware how important it is for people to